The cultural diversity and heritage
of nations in its cities, towns and villages is brilliantly portrayed throughout
Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe. On this page we present a selection of special events, festivals, historical
commemorations, arts and cultural experiences plus the pageantry, pomp and
circumstance for which Europe is so uniquely renowned.

Lord Snowdon has given
130 original prints of some of his most iconic photographs to the
National Portrait Gallery, London,

Coinciding with a new monograph published by Rizzoli,
Snowdon: A Life in View(26 Sep 2014-21 Jun
2015), will highlight studio portraits from the 1950s to the
1990s, alongside selections from Private View Snowdon’s
important 1965 examination of the British art world created in
collaboration with art critic John Russell and Bryan Robertson,
then director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery.
Curated
from a major gift to the Gallery in 2013, in close consultation
with the photographer’s daughter Frances vonHofmannsthal, the display includes over 40
black-and-white portraits taken throughout his expansive and
influential career.

When he started photographing in the early 1950s Snowdon focused
on theatre, fashion, and society subjects, and began a
six-decade career with British Vogue. In 1960, he married
Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, in the
first globally televised royal wedding. In the early 1960s
Snowdon worked with TheSunday TimesMagazine
on a range of documentary subjects from mental health to
loneliness.

Since then Snowdon has photographed a vast range of cultural
figures and the display includes portraits of actors such as
Maggie Smith, John Hurt, Alan Bates, Julie Christie and Laurence
Olivier, writers such as Nell Dunn, Agatha Christie, Kingsley
Amis, Elizabeth Jane Howard and Graham Greene and musicians and
dancers such as Yehudi Menuhin,
George Melly, Anthony Dowell and
Margot Fonteyn. Figures from the art world include Anthony
Blunt, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, William
Coldstream, Kenneth Clarke and John
Piper. A selection of portraits of the Royal Family from the
1950s is also included.

Note: This display which is curated
by Helen Trompeteler, the National Portrait Gallery’s Assistant
Curator of Photographs, will celebrate the major gift of Snowdon
photographs acquired in 2013. The Snowdon archive website:
http://www.snowdon-review.com

Potpourri

From the Airlift to
the Bridge of Spies

Berlin - On a grey winter’s day, a top
Soviet spy and a US pilot walk onto opposite ends of a heavily
guarded bridge for an exchange arranged by their intelligence
services. It sounds straight out of a spy thriller – except it
really happened. Many of these exchanges took place on the
Glienicker Brücke Bridge in Potsdam in front of what is now the
Villa Schöningen Museum. Berlin has a wealth of such fascinating
incidents and locations vividly recounting the tragic narrative of
German 20th century history. And that’s hardly a surprise. For over
50 years, Berlin was the Cold War’s geographical and political
epicentre, a point where the West and East power blocs relentlessly
fought each other.

Although the Second World War Allies fought side by side to end
Hitler’s fascist Third Reich, the ideological gulf between them soon
re-emerged after victory. While the Western Allies wanted to
establish a German democratic state in their zones of occupation,
the Soviet Union planned a “Sovietisation” of east German society on
Russian lines – governed centrally by one single socialist party
loyal to Moscow. The onetime allies were quickly embroiled in their
first conflicts. The fault lines were evident as early as 1948 when
the West German Deutschmark was introduced into West Berlin. In
response, Russia blocked all land routes from the west to the city.
For over a year, West Berlin was supplied entirely by the legendary
Berlin Air Lift.

Bern's Astronomical Clock Tower

Today it is one of Bern's most
important sights. The ornate astronomical clock with its moving
figures was built in 1530. It served as the city's main clock and
thus had an authoritative function in Bern. It was from
there that travel times indicated on stone markers along the
cantonal roads were measured. Standard units of length – formerly
cubit and fathom, today meter and double meter – are displayed for
the public in the arch of the gate.

Take a
Guided tour of Bern’s Clock Tower • The
13th-century tower, a remnant of the first
city wall, greets you in all its majesty.
For over 600 years, the bell has been
faithfully ringing in the hours. But in its
interior, time seems to be standing still.
Coolness and calm await you. The
faithful ticking of the medieval movement is
your constant companion. The approximately
130 steps of the spiral staircase (some of
which are quite worn) lead up to the
observation platform. From here you can
enjoy a view over the roofs of the Old Town,
stretching all the way to the Alps in good
weather. Together we’ll view the
clockwork and follow the performance of the
clockwork figures step for step, all the way
to the famous third crow of the rooster.
Join us for this unforgettable experience.

In Flanders Fields Museum

Ypres and the Great War -
In Flanders

Fields Museum

Belgium - The Ypres region was the backdrop to one of the bloodiest battles in history, almost 100 years ago. Now the last witnesses have died too, the In Flanders Fields is more than ever the gateway to the First World War in Flanders . The renovated In Flanders Fields Museum faces the visitor with the consequences of the Great War. It confronts young and old with life and death in the Ypres front region. The completely new exhibition with poignant video projections, unique sound bytes and state-of-the-art multimedia applications immerse you in the front life. Each visitor is also given a poppy bracelet which enables him/her to discover four personal stories of 'ordinary Joes' in the Great War. By logging in you get in touch with your peers in the war a century ago.

The Mysterious Dragon Houses of Evia

Greece - A very challenging
archaeological wonder lies in the area of Southern Evia: it’s
the 25 famous huge constructions called Drakóspita (Dragon
Houses). Always located on steep and dominating location, they
are built with huge slabs of limestone which form a
pyramid-shaped roof: opposite walls converge towards each other
as the slabs are put on top one another with each of them
protruding as regards its inferior one. Other architectural
features include monolithic jambs and lintels, as well as stone
shelves protruding from the wall. Many theories have been
proposed in order to explain when, how and for which use the
Dragon Houses were built. Some have claimed that they were
ancient sanctuaries of either Zeus or Hera or Heracles. Others
believe that they might have been guard posts or defensive
structures, or even shelters for lumberjacks. Whichever the
truth is, their imposing size and construction technique is an
intriguing enigma! Link to the Dragon Houses of Evia

Warwick Castle unlocks four centuries of
secret
stories in four never-before-seen
rooms

In
February Warwick Castle unlocked four rooms that have
remained closed for generations to reveal secrets and stories across
four centuries of the Castle’s past. The four ancient
rooms – Barbican Battlements & Captain’s Room; Bear Tower; Watergate
Room; and The Guards’ Room in Guy’s Tower - unlock defining chapters
in the Warwick Castle story to reveal tales of battle, siege,
murder, power struggles and hauntings.
Each of the four rooms will be permanently open to visitors at no
additional cost and can be viewed in any order to add even more depth
to the story of Britain’s Ultimate Castle.
Warwick Castle is open every day (apart from Christmas Day). It is in
the West Midlands region of England, 40 minutes from Birmingham by car
and 1 hour 40 minutes from London.
Link:
www.warwick-castle.com

In the
Footsteps of the Third Man

Vienna -
The Third Man, the famous movie based on a
screenplay British novelist Graham Greene,
showcases Vienna during the years after WWII
when the city was devastated and recovering
from the horrors of the war, and separated
into four separate zones, each governed by
one of the victorious allies.
Discover Vienna's underworld on the
footsteps of the Third Man. Girardipark,
Vienna
Girardipark, Vienna on the map With stellar
performances from Orson Welles, Joseph
Cotton and Alida Valli, The Third Man, still
today has legions of fans around the globe.
Anton Karas’ haunting score is entirely
played on a zither and the famous and eerie
“Harry Lime Theme” is probably one of the
world’s most famous film melodies of all. On
a “The Third Man Tour” you will see some of
the original locations, hear about the
making of the movie, and may experience just
a bit of a chill down your spine …..
You will literally follow in Harry Lime’s
footsteps through Vienna’s underground sewer
system where some of the film’s most
memorable scenes take place . The atmosphere
of Vienna’s underworld retains its
fascination to this very day. The tours can
be complemented by viewings of more original
film locations and a visit to private Third
Man Museum. And, for sure, do not miss a
ride on Vienna’s Giant Ferris Wheel, another
location of a rather creepy scene, but much
more enchanting when the sun settles in the
distance over the Inner City, with imposing
St. Stephen’s Cathedral scraping the sky.
Enjoy – before you know it you may be on the
run again. Third Man Tour
Link: http://www.drittemanntour.at/